Page 18 (1/2)

"What?" He tried to shrug, which was not easy to do in his position "What’s there to say?"

"Your face needs garnishing, Dirab for the jalape?o bowl, poured them on Diainst the plate

"Agghh!" he said "Jesus!"

The juice started running into his eyes

I let hile

There wasn’t much of a crowd in the restaurant, this tiaritas at the bar; a couple of business the wraparound view of the corner of Ala that and started watching me

A waiter came over nervously and asked if there was a proble’s fine!" Di pepper juice out of his face "No police! Everything’s cool!"

"Cable company," I informed the waiter "He’s three months behind on pre, trying to remember if he’d paid his cable bilHe left quickly

"You testified against Stirman at his trial," I said to Dimebox

"Yeah Yeah, okay Jesus, Navarre Lemme up"

"Gerry Far took over the operation What was in it for you?"

"Stir You think I liked working for a h What does Stirman want from Erainya and Sam? What did they take froallo and splashed it in his face

He struggled a little more, spit the tomato chunks out of his , Dimebox," I said "I think we’re about ready to pour on this sizzling meat here"

"No! Look-- His wife Stirunfire One of the PIs shot her I don’t knohich"

"I heard the woman who died was a prostitute"

"Yeah, wel --she was more to Stirman She wasyou knowpretty fine They kil ed his wo in his tone

"That’s what you wanted," I decided "You wanted her"

"No Hel , no"

"You figured with Stiret his woet laid"

"No!"

Which meant yes I cranked up on Diot out his phone He dialed a short nu directory assistance

"What else?" I told Di fro he wants back What is it?"

"Money, maybe I don’t know"

"How uy used cash for everything He was leaving the country I told theht, or he’l be gone’ But look, I never thought they’dwel , they went overboard Okay?"

I glanced down South Presa So our direction The business up I had maybe four seconds

I let Di atoff his face The jalape?os hadback on o after Erainya? She wasn’t even part of it"

Di? When I cal ed the night Stir to escapeshit, don’t you know?"

"Speak, Dimebox Don’t I knohat?"

He wiped the salsa off his chin "Erainya was the go-between for me and Barrow She’s the one I cal ed

When they took down Stir for the police--hel , yes, she was part of that It was her godda for the third tiun

Tres’ voice on the answering machine: "Okay, now I’es into theFred’s photo, but it had felt daood to rip the bastard up and throw hi over," Tres said "See you in ten minutes"

The line went dead

In ten one Now that Jem was safe in Austin, she knew exactly what she would do

She would start on the South Side, with a heroin supplier whose little girl Erainya had once rescued He had excel ent contacts at the Floresvil e State Pen If anyone could find out who Stiruy could

She slapped the un She would have to use both hands After firing a clip, her forearms would be sore

But she could stil place a cluster in a man’s chest at fifty feet She was confident of that She’d let a lot of things slip, over the years, but not her Saturday e

She aiht years ago, in this room, she had not been so prepared It alain

She re with blood Her mouth had been salty with the taste of her own busted lip

Fred had never hit her so hard before

Then again, she’d never threatened him like that before

You will not do this to me, he told her

What am I supposed to do? she screamed You destroyed that family

You destroyed the, isn’t it? And now you want to blame it on me? I’ll kill you both